The gaming industry is getting 2013 off to an explosive start, with a range of highly anticipated games hitting the shelves in the first quarter of the year. Here’s a small sampling of what to expect in the next three months, building up to 31 days of March madness that could leave you flat broke. (Release dates accurate at time of writing, but subject to change).
JANUARY
The Cave
Ron Gilbert, the games designer and programmer famous for his work on the early Monkey Island games, goes back to his roots with an adventure title in the vein of his classic Maniac Mansion. It’s all about careful exploration and methodical puzzle solving. Windows PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U (downloadable game)
DmC: Devil May Cry
Ninja Theory’s Westernised reboot of Devil May Cry for Capcom has the fanboys up in arms, but the demo promises a slick and stylish third-person action game built on a robust combat engine. The drop from 60 frames per second of action to 30 frames as a result of a move from Capcom’s proprietary tech to the Unreal engine, coupled with a revamped control scheme, mean the game feels little different to the classic DMC titles. But enjoyed on its own merits, the game still packs in a great deal of fun. Windows PC, PS3, Xbox 360
FEBRUARY
Aliens: Colonial Marines
Still riding high on the success of Borderlands 2, Gearbox will next month release a first-person shooter (FPS) based on the Aliens movies. In addition to a tense campaign with drop-in, drop-out cooperative play, Colonial Marines will boast a range of co-op and competitive multiplayer modes. This game could go either way, but we’re hoping for something that has the terrifying authenticity of the first Aliens vs Predators game. Windows PC, PS3, Xbox 360; Wii U version to follow later
Crysis 3
As pretty as Crysis 2 was, it was a little disappointing that Crytek spurned the open settings and emergent gameplay of the original game for a more scripted and linear experience in the sequel. Even so, Crysis 2 had enough good moments for a sequel to be an exciting prospect. Though it doesn’t look like Crysis 3 will return to the open-ended play of the first Crysis game, we can expect great AI, beefy weapons and powers, and stellar visuals to offer enough reason to play the game. Windows PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Dead Space 3
Electronic Arts’ Dead Space has established itself as one of the best horror franchises around, so a third helping is welcome. The addition of cooperative play and a cover system hints that the game may be a little more geared towards action than the earlier titles, but the publisher says that the game will still focus on tension and scares as much as it does on shooting. Windows PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Platinum Studio, the crazy band of geniuses behind Bayonetta and Vanquish, is working closely with Kojima Productions on this action-orientated spin-off from the Metal Gear Solid series. Platinum will bring the diamond-sharp gameplay and rock-solid combat engine, while Kojima will add a dollop of anime-style insanity to the mix. Expect mad boss battles and lightning fast action in what is almost certain to be the best hack ‘n slash game of the year. PS3, Xbox 360
MARCH
Bioshock Infinite
Despite its troubled development — key members have left the development team over the past year and the game’s release has been delayed a number of times — Bioshock Infinite is likely to be a stunning spiritual and thematic successor to Bioshock.
Ken Levine’s first-person shooter with roleplaying elements moves the action from Bioshock’s undersea dystopia of Rapture to Columbia, a city in the sky. It will tackle weighty themes such as American exceptionalism and features a striking art style based on World War I propaganda posters. Windows PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Gears of War: Judgment
Epic’s People Can Fly studio takes on the responsibility of developing a prequel for the hugely successful Gears of War trilogy. By the sounds of it, People Can Fly is putting its stamp on the third-person shooter with quicker-paced, arcade-style play in the vein of the studio’s excellent Bulletstorm. Judgment will offer up one of the most relentless and aggressive campaigns in the series, as well as the robust multiplayer modes that have made Gears one of the Xbox 360’s most popular franchises. Xbox 360
God of War: Ascension
God of War 3 seemed to bring Kratos’s violent odyssey to a close, but you can’t keep a money-spinning franchise down. The next God of War game introduces multiplayer to the franchise; also expect a single-player campaign that focuses on a younger Kratos as he hacks, slashes, platforms and puzzles his way through the brutal world of Greek mythology. The franchise may seem a little tired, but Sony’s Santa Monica studio nearly always delivers the goods. PS3
Metro: Last Light
The inventive Metro 2033 was a little rough around the edges, but offered such a bleak and compelling window into a post-apocalyptic Moscow that it became a cult classic. With the sequel, Ukrainian developer 4A games promises to deliver an even more claustrophobic and atmospheric blend of first-person action and survival horror in a game that should have a little more polish than its predecessor. Let’s hope publisher THQ’s financial problems don’t prevent this one from reaching the market. Windows PC, PS3, Xbox 360; Wii-U version up in the air
SimCity
SimCity, the sixth major release of the SimCity series, is shaping up to be an old-school city simulation with incredible depth and variety. You can build a single city or create and manage up to 16 cities across a region, tracking how your decisions shape both your city and your region. You can manipulate power, water, taxes, pollution, education, unemployment, and much more, viewing the consequences with a god’s-eye view or by drilling down to individual SimCity residents to see how they’re doing. Plus, there’s multiplayer for the first time in more than a decade. Windows PC; Mac OS X release date to be confirmed
Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time
The thieving raccoon of the Sly Cooper games has been missing in action since the PS2’s heyday, but he will finally return in March for his PS3 debut. This time, the game will be developed by Sanzaru Games, who handled the HD ports of the PS2 Sly trilogy to the PS3. Expect the same mix of platforming, stealth and cartoon-style graphics as the earlier games, with Sanzaru showing a keen understanding of what makes Sly tick. PS3, PS Vita
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm
Though StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty disappointed some fans, the promise of the first expansion pack for the game is hard to resist. Blizzard says that Heart of the Swarm will boost the multiplayer aspect of the game with new units to play with while enriching the game world with an all-new campaign revolving around Sarah Kerrigan, Queen of Blades. The graphics engine will be given a bump and the Battle.net online service will be upgraded with new features. Windows PC, Mac OS
Tomb Raider
Gaming icon Lara Croft seems to be taking cues from her understudy Nathan Drake for her next adventure. The Tomb Raider reboot looks like a more cinematic experience than the earlier games, as heavy on the storytelling and set-piece moments as the Uncharted series.
This grittier take on Tomb Raider will explore the life of the young Lara Croft before she grew into the invulnerable, cool-as-ice fortune hunter we know and love from countless games from the past 15 years. Hopefully, the addition of multiplayer and a heavier focus on combat don’t come at the expense of the classic platforming and puzzling that define the franchise. Windows PC, PS3, Xbox 360 — (c) 2013 NewsCentral Media
